Phrasal-Adjectives – Letter F (With Prepositions)

– Prepositional Adjectival Phrases – Letter F –

Ff

A (Real)BlastFrom The Past – This is an Adjectival,Metaphorical, Idiomatic and PrepositionalPhrasal-Noun which is used to describe something which was a part of, or represents a memory (fond or otherwise) from the past. This phrase is used when the thing which is it describing has not been thought about for a very long time, has probably been forgotten, and the arrival of which came as a big surprise.

“Seeing my some of my old friends from Grateful Dead Tour was a real blast from the past. I completely forgot about the week that we travelled together through the redwood forests of Northern California… (but understandably-so).” 😉

(Just Notice that the word “Real” is often used with this phrase, but is not necessary.)

(to [not] be)Cut Out For(something) – This is an Idiomatic & Prepositional Adjectival Phrase which means: To [not] be “right” for something (activity), or that one does[n’t] “fit” in a certain position (career). This phrase probably comes from the time when, if a man wanted a suit, he had to go to the tailor to have one made especially for him. The tailor would take the measurements and each piece was “cut out” especially for him, so that it would fit perfectly… So if someone else tried to wear it, most likely it wouldn’t fit. This phrase, however, reverses that to say that a person is not “cut out for”(does not have the right qualities or skills) to do a certain job or activity. – (Note Also: This phrase is almost always used in the negative)

(to be) Dead On (one’s) Feet – This is an Idiomatic and PrepositionalAdjectival Phrase which is used to describe a person who is – though physically awake – completely or at greatly un-responsive, use-less, or appearing to be in some sort of trance. This is usually because of extreme exhaustion, sick-ness, the effects of drugs or alcohol the night before, or just from being a freakin’ idiot…

“Well, he’s physically here, he seems to be awake, but he certainly isn’t showing an signs of life. I don’t know if he’s sick, hung-over or in some sort of voodoo trance, but Stan is completely dead on his feet today! If he doesn’t show any improvement after lunch, I’m sending him home. Having a person like that at the controls of a nuclear power plant, probably isn’t a very good idea.”

(a)Face-To-Face (meeting/conversation/etc.) – This is an Idiomatic and Prepositional Phrasal-Adjective which is used to describe things like meetings or conversations that take place when the people are actually in the same place and talking directly to each other, rather than over a phone, tele/video-conference, or internet chat…

“Things have gotten so bad at the office in Minneapolis that I have to fly out there and have a face-to-face meeting with the management there. They don’t actually know that I’m coming, so this should be, not only informative, but a bit entertaining as well.” – (See Also: “In-Person”)

(to be) Faced With (something) – This is an idiomatic adjectival phrase to describe the situation a person in is when some “thing” (situation, condition, thing) is presented to them, usually out of that person’s control or against that persons wishes or desires, but that person then has to “Deal With” that thing… “I am now *faced with* the prospect of being the only person in the Universe who could ever fully comprehend the contents of my Mind. (And even that may prove to be un-true as well.)”

(to be) Fed Up (with someone/something) – This is an idiomatic adjectival phrase used to say that one has had too much of a certain undesirable situation and will no longer tolerate it (although this is still usually ab bit of an exaggeration.) “Fed” is the past tense of “feed”. If someone feeds a person to the point that that person’s stomach is “filled up” then there is no more room for anymore… In addition, when a person’s stomach is completely filled (or over-filled) then it becomes hard to breath and that person is very uncomfortable. This can cause the person to be very upset. similarly, when a person is *fed up* with something, they are usually not very happy about it.

(to have someone’s) Fingerprints All Over It – This is an idiomatic adjectival phrase which is used to describe something that is suspected to be created, inspired, added to, or at least contain the involvement of a person or group, through hints that seem to indicate that person’s or group’s involvement, even though there is no proof of it… “The destruction of the Twin Towers in New York *had the government’s fingerprints all over it*. There is absolutely no way that an airplane crash would bring down those buildings. Especially building Seven, which wasn’t even hit.”

(to be) First In Line (for something) – This is an adjectival phrase which can literally mean that one is in the first place in an actual line (or “queue” in British English) for something (like a movie, to ride a roller-coaster, to receive one’s government-issued mandatory micro-chip implant, etc.). But this phrase is more often used idiomatically to mean that one is either first or at least very eager (due to great enthusiasm or determination) to be a part of something or to receive something even if it is not earned or deserved. So to say that someone is always “…*first in line to receive praise*…” would mean that that person will always work hardest to take the most credit for something (usually to the detriment of others.)

(a) Free-For-All – This is an IdiomaticAdjectival and PrepositionalNoun Phrase which is used to describe a situation where-in there is no perceivable rules or organization, and one can do whatever he or she pleases. This Phrase is also used to describe something which has gotten out of control.

“Both times that there was a Woodstock concert, they turned into a complete free-for-all. However, the first one was such, just because so many people showed up that it was clear that there was no way to keep all the people from coming in. The second time it became another kind of free-for-all. Because un-like the hippies at the first concert who just wanted to be free and love each other – the kids at the second concert just wanted to tear shit up and cause total fʌkɪŋ mayhem… stupid kids.”

(to be)Frozen With Fear – This is an IdiomaticPrepositional Adjectival Phrase which describes the situation where-in a person (or animal) is so over-come by fear that they literally can not move, or at least can not react in order to help or save themselves…

“When the investors asked how we could have lost so much money on the campaign my colleagues were so *frozen with fear* that they just stood there like idiots. Nobody wanted to explain to them that the CEO that they put in place, embezzled all the money and disappeared somewhere in Malaysia.”

(to be) In The Flow – This is an idiomatic adjectival phrasal which means to be experiencing the state of “Flow” – where-in everything seems to just work right and happen effortlessly… “I was totally *in my flow* when Susanne walked in. Just her presence alone, disrupts my thinking. Now I can’t seem to get back *into the flow*.” (Notice also: The phrase can replace the article “the” with a pronoun, and the preposition “in” can be replaced with “into” [or the phrase”out of”.])